Conquest of Wu

The Conquest of Wu occurred from December 279 to 1 May 280 AD when the armies of Jin conquered the kingdom of Wu, ending the Three Kingdoms era. Over 200,000 land and marine forces invaded Wu on multiple fronts, and the upheaval-stricken Wu was unable to efficiently fight back the invaders, leading to its fall within one year.

Background
In 263 AD, the northern kingdom of Cao Wei conquered the southwestern kingdom of Shu Han, with Wei regent Sima Zhao leading the campaign. In 264 AD, Sima Zhao claimed the title "King of Jin", and, upon his death a year later, his son Sima Yan deposed the Wei puppet emperor Cao Huan and created the new kingdom of Jin. Meanwhile, the Wu emperor Sun Xiu died and was succeeded by the prince Sun Hao after his Prime Minister Puyang Xing suggested that his heir apparent Sun Wan was too young. Wu fell into upheaval due to Sun Hao's cruelty and oppression; he had Puyang Xing and General Zhang Bu executed, while eunuch Cen Hun became his confidant and favorite. Sun Hao was concerned that Jin would focus on Wu now that Shu had been conquered, so, in 266 AD, he sent Lu Kang to attack the Jin city of Xiangyang. However, the Jin general Yang Hu sent Lu Kang medicine when he fell ill, and Lu Kang decided to ignore the Emperor's orders and wait for Jin to declare war before launching an invasion of Jin. Sun Hao responded by depriving Lu Kang of his command, appointing Sun Ji as the new commander of Wu's armies. Over the years, Sun Hao's reign of terror continued as he increased the size of his personal guard to 50,000 troops. In 269 AD, Yang Hu advised Sima Yan that Lu Kang's dismissal meant that Wu was ripe for the taking, but Jia Chong, Xun Xu, and Feng Dan advised Sima Yan against an invasion, leading to the invasion being cancelled. In 278 AD, Yang Hu retired due to ill health and suggested that Du Yu would be the best general to supervise the conquest of Wu. That same year, both Ding Feng and Lu Kang died, and Imperial Protector of Yi Province Wang Jun advised for Jin to invade Wu.

In 279 AD, Sima Yan planned out the invasion of Wu. Du Yu was made commander-in-chief and would attack Jiangling with 100,000 troops; Sima Zhou would attack Tuzhong; Wang Hun would conquer Hengjiang, Wang Rong would move against Wuchang, and Hu Fen would attack Xiakou, with each division consisting of 50,000 troops. Meanwhile, Wang Jun and Tang Bin would command two large fleets to support the armies. Overall, the Jin armies had 200,000 troops, and Yang Ji was sent to Xiangyang to coordinate all of the forces. Sun Hao soon called Prime Minister Zhang Ti, Interior Minister He Zhi, and Minister of Works Teng Xun for advice. He decided to send Wu Yan to meet the enemy at Jiangling, Sun Xin to Xiakou, Zhang Ti at Niuzhu, and Shen Zong and Zhuge Xing to provide assistance to these forces. Cen Hun then advised Sun Hao then had great chains and massive hammers placed in the rivers to prevent the Jin navy from advancing.

Conquest
As Du Yu began his attack on Jiangling, he sent Zhou Zhi with 800 sailors to sail along the Great River to attack Yuexiang, where they would wait in ambush in the Bashan Mountains. The next day, Du Yu began to lead the army and marine forces in a simultaneous advance, facing the Wu generals Wu Yan, Lu Jing, and Sun Xin. Du Yu feigned a retreat to lure Sun Xin into a trap, and he was ambushed by Zhou Zhi's troops and slain. Lu Jing also tried to withdraw, Jin general Zhang Shang cut him down. Wu Yan attempted to flee Jiangling before being captured, and Du Yu executed him, finding no use in sparing him. Jiangling and all of the counties along the Xiang and Yuan Rivers as far as Huangzhou surrendered at the first summons, and Du Yu sent out officers to soothe the people of the conquered counties, who were treated well and were convinced to submit to Jin rule.

Meanwhile, the Jin dealt with the river defenses by sending rafts carrying dummy soldiers, scaring the Wu defenders into retreating. They also lit huge torches on the rafts to melt and break the great chains, clearing the rivers for the Jin fleet. Zhang Ti then sent Shen Zong and Zhuge Xing to check the advance of the Jin armies, but Zhuge Xing decided to desert due to his belief that Wu would fall. Zhang Ti accompanied Shen Zong to attack the invaders, but Zhou Zhi broke into the Wu camp and slew both of the Wu generals. After taking Niuzhu, the Jin armies reported their victory to Luoyang, and Sima Yan was pleased. While Jia Chong advised Sima Yan to withdraw his troops before they grew ill or homesick, Zhang Hua advised him that Wu was on the verge of defeat, and advised him to keep up the invasion. He decided to follow Zhang Hua's advice and order Du Yu to reusme the assault, and Sun Hao and his court soon grew demoralized; several courtiers beat Cen Hun to death and cannibalized him, blaming him for Wu's failures. Tao Jun then led 20,000 Wu marines to attack the Jin forces, with Zhang Xiang accompanying him. A large gale destroyed the Wu fleet, and Wang Jun then advanced on Shidou, where Zhang Xiang convinced the defenders to surrender. Sun Hao considered suicide after this defeat, but his advisors Hu Zong and Xue Rong convinced him to surrender to Jin instead. He presented himself in chains and with a coffin, but he was graciously received, and Wang Jun cut his bonds and burned his coffin.

Aftermath
Wu was subdued, and its 4 regions, 43 counties, 313 districts, 5,230,000 families, 62,000 civil officers, 230,000 soldiers, 23,000,000 inhabitants, 5,000 large ships, its 5,000 concubines, and its grain stores were handed over to the victorious Jin dynasty. Governor Wu Yang of Jianping surrendered when he heard of Jianye's surrender, ending Wu resistance to the invasion. Sun Hao was given a seat at the Hall of Audience in Luoyang, and he was made Lord of Guiming. Zhang Ti's sons and grandsons were also awarded ranks and titles, and the Jin officers were also duly rewarded for their roles in the conquest of Wu.

The Three Kingdoms became one empire under Sima Yan, 60 years after the fall of the Han. Shu emperor Liu Shan passed away in 271, Sun Hao passed away in 283, and former Wei emperor Cao Huan passed away in 302. The unity was only temporary, as the Jin princes began to fight among each other during the War of the Eight Princes from 291 to 306. The non-Chinese tribes of the north seized the opportunity to attack a divided China, and, by 317, the Jin had lost all of northern China. China would be divided and ruled by several non-Chinese dynasties for another 300 years, until the Sui and the Tang reunified the country.